Audiovisual educational apparatus

ABSTRACT

An audiovisual educational apparatus employing a disc record having audio messages recorded in spaced relationship and film strips mounted on an image carrier. The movement of a tone arm is synchronized with the position of the image carrier so that the images are positively correlated with the audio messages. A response mechanism for registering choices to the questions and/or instructions presented includes a series of pins which are adapted to be selectively inserted through holes or slots in coded sections on the control card to either hold or allow controlled advancement of the card relative to a display station.

United States Patent Geils et al. 51 Jan. 25, 1972 54] AUDIOVISUALEDUCATIONAL 3,289,325 12/1966 Shreck .35/350 APPARATUS 3,344,709 10/1967Taylor 253/111 3,433,486 3/1969 Kawaharazaki ..274/15 72] Inventors:Alfred E. Geils, Prospect Heights; William J. Raymond, Des Plaines;Richard W. Roberts, Lombard; Peter K. Shreck, Mt.

Prospect, all of I11,

Bay-Warner Corporation, Chicago, 1]].

Oct. 8, 1969 Division of Ser. No. 615,547, Feb. 13, 1967, Pat. No.3,483,633.

US. Cl. ..274/9 R Int. Cl. ..G1lb 17/00 Field of Search ..353/l6l8;274/1,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,129,007 Mesdazh ..274/l5Primary ExaminerHarry N. Haroian Att0rney-Donald W. Banner, Lyle S.Motley, C. G. Stallings and William S. McCurry [57] ABSTRACT Anaudiovisual educational apparatus employing a disc record having audiomessages recorded in spaced relationship and film strips mounted on animage carrier. The movement of a tone arm is synchronized with theposition of the image carrier so that the images are positivelycorrelated with the audio messages. A response mechanism for registeringchoices to the questions and/or instructions presented includes a seriesof pins which are adapted to be selectively inserted through holes orslots in coded sections on the control card to either hold or allowcontrolled advancement of the card relative to a display station.

3 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures mama M25 1972 Bag 37,221

8534 M 2330mm PATENTED JANZS I972 VOLUME CONTROL mm 9 mg-a INVENTORS19/67/4195 W ROM/Q75 P575? K SAKECK ATTORNEY PATENTEDJANZSISTZ $372M summ w ATTOFZN EV smmzm PATENTED M25 1972 INVENTORB Alf-W50 .5 65/1. 5

ATTORNEY PATENTEU JANZS s72 INVENTORS ALFFED 5 65/4 5 AT'TO EH EYAUDIOVISUAL EDUCATIONAL APPARATUS This application is a division of Ser.No. 615,547 filed Feb. 13, 1967,nowU.S. Pat. No. 3,483,633.

SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generallyto educational devices and more particularly to audiovisual teachingapparatus having a response mechanism which the student is required toactuate in response to information or instructions presented aurallyand/or visually.

With the heavy emphasis being placed on education in recent years,particularly in the areas of preprimary and primary instruction, therehas been a great need for self-tutoring devices which meet the followingrequirements:

1. Ability to use low-cost programs to facilitate general acceptance andusage.

2. Uncomplicated construction for substantially maintenance-freeoperation.

3. Ability to be operated by young children with only minimalsupervision.

4. Versatility to permit use of a variety of program formats indifferent disciplines, such as language arts, mathematics, music, etc.

In the present state of the art, there are very few devices which appearto satisfy the above-listed requirements. On the one hand, there areextremely complex (and costly) instructional devices, such as the O. K.Moore self-tutoring typewriter described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,1 12,569 andthe Uttal system described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,121,960; and on the otherhand, there is a variety of relatively low-cost educational devices,most of which are not sufficiently versatile to satisfy the minimumrequirements for effective educational tools, particularly withreference to their use by small children. In this latter category, thereare devices which merely present audiovisual information in sequentialfashion without requiring any response by the operator, such asdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,138,061 and the nonaudio, response devices,such as shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 3,052,041.

Since program costs must be considered in evaluating the overallusefulness of any particular educational device, one of the mostimportant objectives is to provide a program which contains as muchinformation as possible and which can be manufactured by conventionaltechniques at low cost. The present invention employs a low cost,grooved record disc for the audio component and standard (35 mm., 16 mm.or 8 mm.) film strip for the visual component. This particularcombination is thus well adapted for conventional mass productionmethods without having to resort to more specialized and sophisticatedtechnology.

The basic concept to be described in more detail below resides in thecombination of: (1) an audio component comprising a plurality of spacedaudio messages recorded on a suitable medium, (2) a responder mechanismwhich is operated by the student to register his response to informationand/or questions presented in the program; (3) a combined programmingmeans and visual component including; (a) visual images corresponding tothe audio messages and (b) code means cooperating with the respondermechanism which selectively holds or permits a controlled advance of theprogram depending on the particular response; and (4) an audioreproduction system including an audio pickup cooperating with saidaudio component and adapted to select and reproduce individual messagesto correspond with the images.

Positive synchronization between the audio and the visual components isassured by coordinating the position of, an audio pickup relative to therecord with the position of the images relative to a display station.Selective advancement of the combined programming means and visualcomponent (referred to hereinafter as the control card) is effected, inturn, by mechanical cooperation between the responder mechanism and thecode means carried by the control card. During normal operation of theapparatus, a correct response will allow the control card to index tothe next position so that an adjacent image is located at the displaystation; but an incorrect response will prevent advance and will repeatthe audio message. Moreover, the code means may be modified to provideprogram branching," i.e., the preprogramming of supplementaryinformation which is presented when an incorrect response choice is madeby the student. This supplementary information is bypassed by advancingthe control card more than one space if a correct response choice isregistered. The apparatus also contains a number of additional featureswhich may be utilized on other types of audio and/or visual devices andwhich may not necessarily require a response mechanism.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the invention to provide animproved audiovisual educational apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to assure positive synchronizationbetween the audio component and the visual component in an audiovisualapparatus so that the images and audio messages always correspond, evenduring rapid scan of the program.

Another object of the invention is to provide an educational devicewhich permits branching during a program to provide supplementalinformation to the student in case of an incorrect response.

Another object of the invention is to provide an audiovisual apparatusadapted to use programs which can be manufactured at relatively lowcost.

Another object of the invention is to provide a program in whichopposite sides of both the audio and the visual components can be usedto store information with the corresponding sides being color coded togive the operator a visual stimulus for proper coordination.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved audio recordwhich allows large tolerances in the audio pickup locating and track(message) selection mechanism.

Another object is to provide an improved mechanism for positioning adisc record onto a turntable.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a sim' plifledcontrol system which will repeat a message in the case of an incorrectresponse choice and will automatically advance the program upon acorrect response choice.

Additional objects and advantages will be apparent from reading thefollowing detailed description in conjunction with the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial or schematic representation of the principalcomponents in the apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the audio component;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the combination visual component and codingelement, sometimes referred to as the control card;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the control circuit;

FIG. 5 is a front elevation view, partlly broken away and in crosssection, of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a cross section taken along the plane of line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a cross section taken along the plane of line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a cross section taken along the plane of line 8-8 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a detailed cross section illustrating the mechanism forcontrolling the vertical movement of the tone arm; and

FIG. is a detailed cross section view showing the pin guide and supportassembly.

Before beginning a description of the actual construction and operationof the device, it should be pointed out that there are many differentalternative arrangements which will be obvious to anyone skilled in therecording and optical art. Consequently, the various terms used herein,such as audio pickup, are intended to cover a wide variety ofelectrical, mechanical and optical means for translating recordedinformation into aurally sensible information to the operator. Forexample, in the disc recording art, there are at least four main typesof audio pickups, e.g., ceramic, magnetic, crystal and pure mechanical.Obviously, the choice of one or the other of these pickups would begoverned by considerations of a trade off between the quality ofreproduction desired and cost.

To guide those skilled in the art in selection of various equivalents,the following glossary is provided to define the various terms usedfrequently throughout the specification and claims herein. It should beunderstood that this is primarily for the purpose of facilitating acomplete understanding of the invention, and it is not intended that theterms be strictly limited to the specific definitions recited.

PROGRAM Any intelligence, regardless of the purpose for which suchintelligence is to be employed, e.g., educational, instructional, orentertainment, for communication to the operator, said intelligencebeing capable of being divided into a predetermined number of discretesegments for presentation to the operator in a nonrandom fashion. Theterm discrete segments is not to be limited to a single visual imagepresented in conjunction with a single audio message, but may alsoinclude more than one audio message corresponding to a single visualimage or more than one visual image corresponding to a single audiomessage.

IMAGE Any pictorial representation, symbol, written matter, alone or incombination with each other, for communicating intelligence to theoperator through his visual senses.

AUDIO COMPONENT OF PROGRAM Any suitable medium having one or moremessages recorded thereon by any means, such as optical, magnetic, orembossed recording techniques. The record medium may take many forms butthe most common would be the disc-type record, a cylindrical drum, or aflexible belt of the type used in dictating apparatus. If magneticrecording techniques are employed, the recording media may be anysuitable support for a magnetic iron oxide coating.

AUDIO MESSAGE The audio message is any meaningful intelligence which iscapable of being recorded and reproduced by an appropriate audioreproduction system including a pickup.

AUDIO REPRODUCTION SYSTEM Any means which is adapted to cooperate withthe audio component of the program unit to convert the recorded messagesinto intelligence capable of being understood by the operator throughhis aural senses. In a conventional system, this would include an audiopickup of a type capable of deriving a signal from the particular formof recorded audio information; and an amplifier to amplify the signalgenerated by the pickup to power level which can drive a transducer,such as a loudspeaker, to convert the amplified signal to an audiblesignal. This would also include simple mechanical systems for directconversion of the recorded information into sound, e.g., a diaphragmmechanically connected to a record stylus.

VISUAL COMPONENT OF PROGRAM The combination of a plurality of discreteimages adapted to be selectively presented to the operator and means forsupporting the images in a predetermined pattern.

RESPON DER MECHANISM Any device capable of being used to register aresponse by the operator. This response may be cued by directinstructions, thereby omitting a choice, or by posing a question whichmay be answered by selection of various alternatives.

CODE

Any means for distinguishing a correct response from an in correctresponse for coordinating the registered response with the advance ofthe program so that the selection of an incorrect response produces oneresult and the selection of a correct choice produces another result.

VISUAL DISPLAY STATION A discrete point or location with respect towhich the visual intelligence is brought into some predetermined spatialrelationship so that such intelligence is communicated to the operator.The images may be viewed directly at the display station or projectedfrom the display station to another location for viewing.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION Referring first to FIG. 1, which is a schematic orpictorial representation of the main functional components in thesystem, the instructional program is comprised of an audio component Aand a visual component B. The audio component is preferably in the formof a record disc or platter adapted to be supported on a turntable whichis driven by drive means C. An audio reproduction system D, including amovable audio pickup is adapted to select and play back differentrecorded messages on the record which correspond to images in the visualcomponent.

The visual component B, comprising a series of individual images, isintegrated with a code E on a suitable support. For convenience, thesupport which carries both the images and the code will be referred tohereinafter as the control card and designated at F. A respondermechanism G which is used by the operator to register. responses toinstructions and/or questions presented in the program is adapted tocoact with code means E for selectively holding or allowing controlledadvance of the control card F.

Movement of the control card with respect to a display station H ispositively synchronized with the movement of the audio pickup forselection of a particular recorded message thereon to correspond to theimage appearing at the display station; and although the images could bepresented for direct viewing at the display station, it is morepractical to project them to a different location through an opticalsystem J. Program advance mechanism K cooperates with means L foreffecting relative movement between the control card and the displaystation I-I, said means including a sprocket wheel for engaging thecontrol card to constitute a form of rack and pinion drive system.

THE AUDIO COMPONENT A plan view of the audio component A is illustratedin FIG. 2. In the preferred embodiment, this takes the form of adisctype, grooved record in which the various messages are recorded in acontinuous spiral path and arranged in concentric groups. The recordplatter 10 is provided with a central opening 12 for reception of thecenter spindle on the turntable and a locating hole 14 spaced radiallyfrom the axis of rotation. In the operation of the unit, each individualmessage begins and ends by the time a single revolution of the recordhas been completed. In other words, the record (and the turntable) mustalways return to a central or home" position in preparation for the nextmessage. This message start (and finish) position is indicated by adotted line 16 following the arcuate travel path of the audio pickup.

An important feature of the invention is a system of recording themessages to permit considerable latitude in locating the audio pickupwhen it drops onto the record. This is accomplished by recordingidentical messages within the same band. To illustrate, the bands at18a, 18b, etc., each consist of a plurality of identical messages-10 to30recorded in adjacent tracks. The pickup stylus can therefore bedropped anywhere within the band and still play back the correct messagewhen the turntable is driven through its single revolution. The nextmessage, recorded in an adjacent band, is reproduced by shifting thepickup radially and dropping it anywhere within said band. It should beunderstood that a particular message need not take up the entire spaceavailable within the one revolution track; but each of the identicalmessages recorded within a given band will normally begin and end at thesame radial location.

CONTROL CARD The control card combines several functions: (1) a supportfor the visual images; (2) means forming an essential part of thesynchronization mechanism; and (3) a means for incorporating the code,which in cooperation with the responder mechanism, determines theframe-to-frame advance of the program. As shown in FIG. 3 the controlcard F is in the form of an elongated, generally rectangular paddlehaving projections 22 at one end to function as a stop for locating thecard when it is placed in an operative position with respect to thedisplay station. The programs are divided into two sections so that oneset of images corresponds to the messages recorded on opposite sides ofthe record. The control card and record are then inverted after thefirst section of the program has been completed. Accordingly, eachfunctional element associated with the control card is one of a pair.

Along the upper and lower edges of the control card are lines ofsprocket holes 24a, 24b which cooperate with the program advancemechanism to provide indexing movement to the card during operation ofthe machine. The images are arranged on opposite sides of the cardcenterline, preferably in the form of a pair of film strips 26a, 26bwhich may be standard mm., 16 mm. or 8 mm.) film adapted for throughprojection onto a display screen.

Two coded areas 28a, 2812 are located between the sprocket holes and thefilm strips. The code comprises a plurality of aperture groups, thenumber of groups being equal (with certain exceptions) to the number ofimages in each film strip, and the number of apertures in each groupbeing equal to the number of response keys in the responder mechanism.It will be noted that certain of the apertures are circular (holes) andothers are elongated (slots). Actuation of the responder mechanismselectively inserts a pin or other means for interfering with cardmovement through one of the holes or slots. When one ofthe pins is in ahole 30 the card cannot be moved; but when it is in a slot 32 the cardcan travel a distance equal to the length of the slot. The specificcoaction between the code and the responder will be discussed in moredetail below.

CONSTRUCTION OF AUDIOVISUAL DEVICE The construction of a preferredembodiment of the audiovisual apparatus adapted to use the programcomponents described above is shown in FIGS. 4 to 111. As an aid to acomplete understanding of the invention, the following description willbe organized in three main parts: (I) a general description of thehousing and the location of the principal components within the housing;(2) a detailed description of the various subassemblies; and (3) adescription of the operation.

HOUSING A main housing, generally designated at N, comprises a rigidframe for supporting the operating mechanism and an external appearancecover 41 to enclose such mechanism and the record-control cardcomponents of the program during operation of the device. The frameincludes a base 42 and a platform 43 attached to the base and spacedtherefrom by a plurality of legs M. The appearance cover 451 comprises afront wall 45, top wall 66, sidewalls 47,4l8 and a rear wall 49.

The upper part of the housing N contains a turntable assembly P carriedby the platform and a record tray assembly Q. A rear projection displayscreen is located on the front wall of the housing for convenientviewing of the images by the operator; and immediately underneath thescreen is the responder mechanism G which includes a console 51 with aset of response keys 52a, 52b, 52c, 52:1, 522 adapted to be manipulatedby the student to register his responses to questions and/orinstructions in the program.

At the lower right-hand portion of the front wall 45 is a vertical slot53 which is adapted to receive the control card F. As the control cardis inserted into the slot, the sprocket holes 24a(b) along the edgeengage and receive the teeth on a sprocket wheel 54 which cooperateswith a tone arm position control mechanism to synchronize the audiomessages with the images in registration with the display station H.

THE TURNTABLE AND RECORD TRAY ASSEMBLIES The upper portion of the frontwall of the housing N is provided with an access opening 56 to permitremoval (and insertion) of the record from the turntable P. Tofacilitate this manipulation, a record tray assembly Q is provided, saidrecord tray being operative to automatically locate the record withrespect to the center spindle on the turntable. The tray is also mountedfor pivotal movement so that it may be lifted clear of the centerspindle (and a locating pin) and the tone arm during any transfer of arecord onto or off the turntable.

As shown best in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, the tray comprises upper and lowerparts 57,58 joined on three sides and dished in the center at 59,60 todefine a generally circular pocket 61 for the reception of the record.The open side 62 of the tray faces the front of the housing and isgenerally aligned with the access opening. The entire tray is pivoted ona pair of brackets 63,64 attached to the platform at the rear of thehousing.

The front end of the tray is adapted to be lifted to allow the record toclear the turntable and the tone arm at the same time that a closure forthe access opening is shifted from a closed position to an openposition. It will be noted that the closure 65 is supported at the endof two elongated arms 66,67 pivotally supported on the platform at68,69. The lifting action is accomplished by the use of a pair ofbistable rocker links 70 (only the left'hand link being shown) attachedto the platform on opposite sides of the tray. A first pin 72, securedto the front end of the link, extends through a slot 73 in the arm 66.Another pin 74 at the opposite end of each link extends through a slot75 in a bracket 76 attached to the tray. When the closure (and the arms)are pushed down to the open position, each link pivots in such a waythat the tray is lifted. A pair of springs 77 holds the closure in theopen and closed positions by an overcentering (locking) action.

The upper section of the tray is formed with a large wedgeshaped opening80 defined by an upstanding reinforcing rib 81. This opening permitsclearance for the tone arm as it swings in its normal arcuate pathacross the record. The bottom section of the tray has a large, circularopening 82 with a diameter slightly larger than the turntable, butsmaller than the diameter of the record so that it can support it at itsperiphery while loading and unloading.

The turntable P is supported in a bearing 83 mounted on platform 43 andhas a center spindle 84 extending above the plane of the upper surfacethereof. A cushion 86 may be provided on the upper surface to preventdamage to the record when dropped onto the turntable and also to preventslippage between the turntable and the record. Although any conventionalturntable drive system may be used, the drive means C (See FIG. 7)comprises an electric motor 87 and a friction drive roller 88 engagingthe rim 89 of the turntable. The respective diameters of the motorshaft: 90 and the turntable rim 89 are selected so that the turntable isdriven at about 15-20 r.p.m. (preferably at 16-2/3 rpm.) to givesatisfactory audio reproduction and a message length of up to 3 to 4seconds. The drive roller 88, mounted on bracket 91, is spring loaded(by means not shown) into driving engagement with both the shaft and therim.

As pointed out above, each audio message is completed within a singlerevolution of the record. In order to control the movement of theturntable, a turntable stop is provided which is adapted to arrest theturntable at a predetermined point after a single revolution and preventfurther movement until the stop is released. The stop mechanism,designated generally at R, comprises a bell crank lever 92 having an arm92a engageable with a radially inwardly extending tab 93 secured to theturntable rim 89. The actuation of the stop will be discussed in moredetail below in connection with the control system.

Additional control features associated with the turntable include a pairof cams 94 and 95 which respectively operate a microswitch 96 in thecontrol circuit and a tone arm lift mechanism S. The two cams arelocated at different levels with respect to the turntable rim so thatactuation of their respective cam followers is selective.

A novel aspect of the invention is the particular locating mechanismwhich assures accurate placement of the record onto the turntable. Sinceall the messages begin and end at a particular point on the record(indicated at 16 on FIG. 2), it is necessary to make sure that theprogram is started with the record properly aligned with respect to theturntable. This is accomplished by means of a locating mechanism,designated at T, which will hold the record stationary until a locatingpin on the turntable finds the corresponding locating hole 14 on therecord. As best shown in FIG. 6, a U-shaped bracket 98 having arms 98a,98b extending upwardly is carried on the center spindle 84 and rotatablewith the turntable. A locating pin 99 on one arm 98a is adapted toproject through a ferrule 100 in the turntable and the locating hole 14in the record. Arm 98b carries record engaging means in the form of aroller 101 journaled for rotation along axis normal to the centerspindle. The shape of bracket 98 is such that when one arm is at orbelow the plane of the record, the other arm will project above theplane of the record with the pivot point 102 being below said plane andapproximately on the rotational axis of said record. When the tray islowered with the record, the tray pocket 61 will hold the record so thatthe center hole 12 will be aligned with the spindle 84. Normally, thelocating hole 14 will not be aligned with the locating pin; and sincethe locating pin cannot project through the locating hole, the bottom ofthe record will engage and bear down on the top of pin and rock thebracket so that the roller is pushed up through an opening 103 in theturntable. This will prevent the record from dropping onto the turntablesurface and urge the upper surface of the record into engagement withfriction pads 104 attached to the lower surface of tray section 57.

When the turntable is then rotated, the record will remain stationary;but the roller and the locating pin will rotate with the turntable untilthe pin can find opening 14 and seat itself therein. When this occurs,the roller will drop down through opening 103 as the bracket rocks inthe opposite direction; and the record will drop flat onto the turntablesurface in the proper, aligned relation.

SYNCHRONIZATION-TONE ARM LATERAL CONTROL The tone arm 110 is mounted forhorizontal or lateral movement on a shaft 111 located at the left-rearportion of the housing and journaled in a bearing 112 attached to theplatform 43. A torsion spring 113, anchored to the platform and theshaft biases the tone arm in a clockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 7)to the innermost position. As best shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, lateralmovement of the tone arm is linked to the movement of the control cardby means of an elongated lever 109 extending from the tone arm shafttoward the front wall. This lever is connected by means of a cable,chain, or other suitable means 114 to a drum 115 attached to androtatable with the sprocket wheel shaft 116, said shaft being mounted inupper and lower bearings 117, 118 on the platform and base respectively.

The cable 115 is always maintained in tension by the opposing forces ofspring 113 biasing the tone arm and a power spring 120 adapted to drivethe sprocket wheel shaft 116 in a clockwise direction (as viewed in FIG.8). When the control card is inserted into the machine, it drives thesprocket wheel 54 in the direction shown by the arrow (FIG. 8). Thiswill drive the drum in a direction which will unwind the cable andpermit spring 113 to move the tone arm toward its radially innermostposition. As the card moves outwardly in indexingtype movement, drum 115is rotated in a direction which winds up the cable on the drum and pullslever 109 in a direction which effects movement of the tone arm radiallyoutwardly.

PROGRAM ADVANCE CONTROL CARD GUIDE AND DISPLAY STATION As the leadingend of the control card F is inserted into the slot 32, the lower edgeis engaged and guided by a pair of rollers 106 mounted on the base 42.At the same time, the top edge of the card will be engaged and guided bya roller 121 which is carried on the end of the cantilever spring 122.The spring action thus keeps the card in perfect alignment throughoutits entire length of travel.

Indexing movement of the card is effected by cooperation between powerspring 120, the sprocket wheel 54, a ratchet wheel 123 carried on thesprocket wheel shaft, and a pawl 124. The pawl is secured to a rotatableshaft 126 journaled at its upper end in a bearing 127 on the platformand at its lower end in a bearing 128 attached to the base. A torsionspring 129 urges the pawl into engagement with the ratchet teeth 130 butpermits one-way movement of the sprocket wheel when the control card isinserted. Suitable stops (not shown) arrest the sprocket wheel atpredetermined points so that synchronization is maintained.

Release of the ratchet (and sprocket) is effected by actuation of asolenoid 132 mounted underneath the platform. As best shown in FIG. 7,actuating rod 133 of solenoid 132 is connected to one end of theturntable stop arm or lever 92 which is also supported by the pawl shaft126. A return spring 134 for the brake lever 92 is anchored to theplatform at I35. Energization of the solenoid will thrust the stop leverand shaft 126 in a clockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 7) to releasethe pawl 124 from the ratchet wheel 123. This will permit the card toadvance, due to the driving force of spring 120, in a direction out ofthe housing unless interferred with by the pins cooperating with thecoded area on the card. It should be pointed out that the forcedelivered by the sprocket wheel spring is much greater than the forceprovided by the tone arm spring 113. Accordingly, the former will alwaysoverride the latter, even though the forces are applied in oppositedirections through the cable 114.

When the control card has reached its terminal frame or image, it may bereleased for removal from the slot 32 by a second control linkageconnected to the record tray Q. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the back ofthe tray has a downwardly extending arm 136 which is connected to theratchet pawl 124 through a strut 137. One end of the strut extendsthrough a slot in the pawl to provide a lost motion connectionpermitting the pawl to be intermittently actuated by the solenoidwithout exerting a force on arm 136. However, when the tray pivotsupwardly to permit removal of the record, the arm and strut linkagepushes the pawl to a full release position which permits the card to beremoved. To prevent the spring 120 from rapidly driving the card out ofthe slot when the tray is lifted, a brake mechanism for the sprocketwheel, generally indicated at 138, is provided. A second strut 139attached to arm 136 pivots a brake pad 140 to engage the upper surfaceof sprocket wheel 119 at the same time that the pawl is released. Thebraking effort applied is not so great as to hinder removal of thecontrol card from the housing.

The display station H is a particular location with respect to which theindividual images on the control card are brought into somepredetermined spatial relationship to permit the operator to view orotherwise receive the visual intelligence carried on said image. In theapparatus described, this display station may be regarded as coincidentwith the aperture 142 in a mask 143 forming a part of the opticalprojection system; although it should be understood that the images maybe presented for direct viewing.

RESPONDER MECHANllSM As pointed out above, movement of the control cardis governed by cooperation between the holes and slots in the coded areaof the card and a series of interfering pins selec tively insertablethrough one of the holes and slots associated with each image. The pins1511a, 150b, 1580, 150d, 150s are mounted in a pin guide and supportassembly 151 (see FIG. and include springs 152 to hold the pins awayfrom the card unless forced, by actuation of a key, in a direction toovercome the spring force.

Attached to the frame on the front of the housing is the console 51which includes a support member 153 having openings to receive the stems1 extending from the response keys 5211-52. Downward pressure on any ofthe keys forces the end of the stem into engagement with one of aplurality of bell crank levers 155 attached to support 153. The oppositeend of each lever is connected to the respective pins 150a-15t1e throughstruts 15s. Adjacent to the display station H, on the opposite side ofthe control card from the pin guide and support assembly 151 is amicroswitch 158. The microswitch actuating mechanism includes a flexibleplate 159 attached to a part of the frame at 160. The plate has aportion which is ar ranged to cover the area through which the pins canproject on the opposite side of the control card. Accordingly, the actuation of any key will effect engagement of the plate 159 by thecorresponding pin to close the microswitch. The operation of themicroswitch will be discussed in more detail with regard to theoperation of the control circuit.

TONE ARM-VERTICAL CONTROL The vertical position of the tone arm 110 iscoordinated with the turntable P by means of tone arm lift mechanism S,such that: (l) the pickup (and stylus) is dropped onto the record justafter a revolution of the turntable is initiated; and (2) the pickup islifted off the record each time the turntable ends one revolution. Meansare also provided for raising the tone arm to a still higher elevationwhen the record tray Q is pivoted up to change a record in order toprevent interference between the tone arm and the record during thisoperation.

As best shown in FIG. 9, the tone arm lift mechanism S includes a camfollower 162 which cooperates with the cam 95 on the turntable toactuate a slider 163 mounted on platform 13. The slider is constructedof two plates 16 1, 165 on opposite sides of the platform, said platesbeing attached to each other by pins 166., which extend through slots167. The slider is thus restricted to limited travel back and forth on aradial path which extends between the turntable axis and the tone arm(lateral) pivot axis. A return spring 168, attached to the slider and atab 169 on the platform, biases the slider against the turntable rim.

A sleeve 170 is joumaled on the OD of the tone arm shaft bearing 112extending above the platform 413. Attached to the upper end of thesleeve is an L-shaped arm 171 which has a terminal portion adapted toengage the underside of the tone arm 110. In a preferred embodiment,contact is made with an adjustment screw 172 which may be used to makeminor adjustments in the height of the tone arm. To complete the linkagebetween the tone arm and the turntable cam, a lever 173 is pivoted on abracket 174 mounted on the platform, said lever having a fork-shaped arm175 engaging a flange 176 on the bottom of sleeve 178 and another arm177 extending downwardly for engagement by the bottom slider plate 165.Since the tone arm has a generally channel-shaped cross section toreceive the end of arm 171, and since the sleeve is freely journaled onthe outside ofthc tone arm shaft bearing 112,

the sleeve will rotate with the tone arm during its travel back andforth laterally.

In order to lift the tone arm to a maximum elevation to prevent damageduring insertion or removal of the record, a two-piece lever 178 ispivoted on a pin 179 extending down from the platform. This lever isadapted to be actuated by means of an arm 180 attached to and. extendingdownwardly from the back of the record tray so that when the tray islifted, lever 178 is pivoted in a clockwise direction, as shown in FIG.8, to engage and move arm 177 of the tone arm lift lever. The maximummovement of this lever is greater than that effected by the movement ofthe slider mechanism so that the tone arm is lifted still further. Themechanical advantage in this linkage is enough to lift the far end ofthe tone arm against the inside of the top cover 41. The torsion spring182 connecting the two sections of lever 178 takes up any additionalmovement in winding up the spring.

OPTICAL SYSTEM The optical system J to be described is more or lessconventional for use with transparency projection. An extension 184 ofthe main housing provides space for the projection lamp 185 and a blowerif required (not shown). The heat resistant glass and condensing lensassembly 186 is supported between the lamp and the mask 1413 andaperture 142 which confines the light path to an area corresponding tothe individual images on the control card. On the opposite side of thedisplay station H is a projection lens 187 which projects the imagethrough a mirror system onto the rear projection display screen 50 onthe front of the housing. The location of the various mirrors in theoptical system is governed largely by the placement of other componentsin the housing. However, in the particular device shown, a first 45mirror 188 projects the image toward the back wall along a planeparallel to the base. A second mirror 189 reflects the image at a 90angle in a plane parallel to the back wall and at approximately a 45angle upwardly onto a third mirror 190 which redirects the image ontothe display screen at a 90 angle toward the front and approximatelyparallel to the base.

CONTROL CIRCUIT Referring now to FIG. 4, the control circuit forautomatically controlling the sequence of operation is illustrated inschematic form. A pair of line conductors 192 and 193 are connected to aconventional power source, i.e., 117 volt 60 cycle AC through a mainon/off switch 194 and fuse 195. The on/off switch 194 may also becombined with a volume control for the audio reproduction system D.Lines 192, 193 supply electrical energy to the projection lamp 185 and ablower motor 196 when the main switch is closed. Microswitch 158, whichis actuated by any of the response keys, is in series with the camactuated switch 96 and solenoid 132. The turntable motor is connectedbetween power line 193 and a terminal 198, which is in common withswitches 96 and 158, by conductor 199. With the turntable P in theposition shown, microswitch 96 is placed with the N/O contact in theclosed position and the N/C contact in the open position to enablesolenoid 132 to be energized when microswitch 158 is closed bydepression of any one of the keys 52a, 52b, etc. This will also completea circuit through switch 158, conductor 199 and the turntable motor 87to begin rotation of the turntable and dislodge the cam 94 from thecorresponding cam follower controlling switch 96. As soon as theturntable cam 94 has left its home" position, microswitch 96 openscontact N/O and closes contact N/C. This will, of course, deenergize thesolenoid and at the same time close an alternate circuit through theturntable motor through conductor 200 which is in parallel withmicroswitch 158. The turntable will continue to rotate until the camagain reaches its home position at which time the N/C contact will opento discontinue power to the motor and will close contact N/O tocondition the solenoid for the next depression of the response switch.

1 .1 OPERATION Having thus far described the mechanical construction ofa preferred embodiment of the apparatus, the following table outlinesthe various steps in the control sequence and the cor- 5 respondingeffect with regard to the various components: Action l. Closure Moved ToOpen Position Effect:

a. record tray lifted b. tone arm lifted to highest position c. pawlreleased (1. sprocket wheel brake engaged Action 2. Record Inserted IntoTray Action 3. Closure Moved to Closed Position Effects:

a. record tray dropsrecord held off turntable and against friction padsby roller b. tone arm dropped to intermediate position c. pawl engagedd. sprocket wheel brake disengaged Action 4. Control Card InsertedEffects:

a. tone arm pivoted radially inwardly as sprocket wheel is driven bycontrol card b. when fully inserted, image No. 1 is displayed on screenand stylus is just inside band with first recorded message.

Action 5. Student Responds To Audiovisual Information and DepressesResponse Key Effects:

a. one of the pins 150a, 150b, etc., is thrust through a slot (or hole)in the control card to actuate microswitch 158 b. circuit to solenoidcompleted and solenoid energized i. solenoid retracts to release pawlwith respect to the sprocket and permit control card to advance (if itcan) ii. turntable stop released c. turntable motor energized d. if pinis in one of the holes 30, control card remains stationary and tone armdoes not move to next message group. If pin is received in one of theslots 32, control card advances until it is arrested by back edge ofslot to bring new image into display station and advance the tone arm tocorresponding message.

Action 6. Turntable Begins Revolution Effects:

a. cam 95 actuates tone arm vertical control mechanism S and drops tonearm onto record b. cam 94 actuates microswitch 96 which:

i. opens circuit to deenergize solenoid, bringing pawl and turntablestop back to initial position and ii. closes parallel circuit throughturntable motor to con- .tinue turntable rotation. Action 7. DuringTurntable Rotation Effect:

a. locating pin 99 finds locating hole 14 in record and record dropsdown on turntable surface in correct position.

Action 8. Turntable Returns to Home Position Effects:

a. cam 95 actuates tone arm vertical control mechanism S to lift tonearm off record b. cam 94 opens N/C contacts of switch 96 to discontinueturntable motor and recloses contacts N/O to condition solenoid for nextkey actuation through switch 158 c. turntable stop 92-93 arreststurntable in home position Action 9. Continue Through Program byRepeating Actions 5 to 8.

Action 10. Program Change (Last Frame on Control Card)- Closure Moved toOpen Position Effects:

a. record tray lifted b. tone arm raised to maximum elevation c. pawlmoved to full release position d. sprocket wheel bracket engaged toprevent rapid ejection of control card 75 Action 11. Record and ControlCard Removed and Inserted Back in Inverted Position Action 12. RepeatActions 5 to 9 Until Program Completed CONTROL CARD CODING-BRANCHINGReferring back to FIG. 3, it will be noted that the code apertures maybe conveniently arranged in groups with the lefthand edge of all holesor slots in a group lying along an imaginary straight line. Theseimaginary lines are all parallel and may be canted at an angle to theedge of the card.

As pointed out above in the discussion on the control card, eachaperture group I, II, III etc., corresponds to one of the imagesdesignated 1, 2, 3, etc.; and when the card is inverted, aperture groupsI, II, III, etc., correspond to images 1', 2, 3', etc. When the operatorbegins the program, image 1 will be at the display station forprojection onto screen 50 and the pins a, 150b 1500 will be aligned withthe holes (or slots) in the code group I. The first group is a dummy toallow the record to seat itself properly on the turntable. Therefore, noaudio message is required. To avoid wasting one frame, the student maybe instructed (by information on image 1, for example) to first push theleft-hand key 52a which will result in pin 150a projecting through ahole 30(1). This will initiate the first complete revolution of theturntable to seat the record; and there would be no audio message forthis image. With the record properly seated on the turntable, thestudent is now prepared to continue with the regular prbgram; so he isinstructed to depress another key, e.g., 52c, which projects pin 15012through a slot 32(1). The solenoid 132 is actuated by the closing ofswitch 158 and the card advances to image 2. At the same time, the audiopickup head is dropped on the band which has the first message recordedthereon.

By way of example, image 2 may depict the letter B and have an arrowpointing to one of the keys. The audio message may state- This is theletter B (pronounce phonetically) now push the key under the arrow. Theresponse is thus made to a pure instruction be depressing the key underthe arrow. When this occurs, the control card advances to image 3 (andthe audio message corresponding thereto).

This frame may be constructed as follows:

ImageSeries of different letters (including one B) each arranged overone of the keys AudioCan you find the letter B? Press the key under B!"In this example, the code for the key corresponding to the letter B isthe only one which has a slot to advance the control card. Depression ofother incorrect" keys will insert a pin through a hole, and will repeatthe audio message without advancing the program.

In a branched program both a correct and an incorrect answer willadvance the program; but in the case of an incorrect answer, the nextframe will supply additional information and a correct answer willadvance the program two (or more) frames to bypass the additionalinformation.

As an example, it will be assumed that the previous question (find theletter B) has been presented on image 3 (and the corresponding audiomessage).

All the incorrect choices will advance the program to frame 4 by meansof a single frame slot. This frame will be constructed as follows:

Image-Letter B appearing again with other letters which are designatedas being incorrect AudioYou did not select Bdepress the key under B. Ifa correct choice was made earlier, then the program skips frame 4 andadvances by means of a double frame advance slot to frame 5. Frame 5would normally be used to introduce new information.

Frame 4 may thus be regarded as comprising an error stimulus whichincludes both an audio error message and an error image.

in a more sophisticated program, multiple branching may be employed. lnthis case there may be many different error stimuli as there areincorrect choices to a particular question. Continuing with the exampleabove, instead of a general error stimulus as specified for frame 4,each incorrect response may advance the control card to a differentposition. For example, the choices in addition to B may be F," D, P andE which correspond to keys 52a, 52b, 52d and 52e, respectively.Actuation of key 52a will advance the control card to frame 4 which maybe constructed as follows:

image-B Audio-You selected F not B. Now that you see the difference,push the key under the B. Actuation of key 52b will advance the controlcard to frame 5 which would be constructed as follows:

lmage--B Audio--You selected D not B. Nowthat you see the dif ference,push the key under the B." Actuation of keys 52d or 52e will shift thecard to frame 6 and 7 respectively, which would also be specific errorstimuli. The actuation of key 52c, the correct key, would advance theprogram to frame 8 which would normally be a new informational frame.

The above examples are intended to demonstrate the versatility of thepresent invention and will suggest to those skilled in the art a largenumber of possible variations.

Since the program is constructed so that each side of the record 10corresponds, respectively, to the two lines of images 26a and 26!; onthe control card, some means must be provided for coordinating theloading of the record and the control card to prevent a mismatch. Aspecial problem exists in the situation where the apparatus is to beoperated by young children and others unable to read information whichmight be applied to the record and the control card to assure propercoordination. A preferred way of avoiding this problem is to color codeboth the record and the control card. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, thecenter section of the record is provided with a label 202 which is colorcoded with the projecting end of the control card F. The color of thiscode label 202 is thus matched with one section 203 of the control cardand the other side of the record has a corresponding code label (notshown) which is colored to match the other coded section 204 of thecontrol card. When the record is loaded into the apparatus and thecontrol card inserted in the corresponding slot so that the color ofboth the label and the control card are both facing in the samedirection (up or down), there can be no mismatch of the audio and visualcomponents.

While this invention has been described in connection with a certainspecific embodiment thereof, it is to be understood that this is by wayof illustration and not by way of limitation; and the scope of theappended claims should be construed as broadly as the prior art willpermit,

We claim:

1. The combination comprising:

a turntable adapted to drive a disc record when said record is placed onthe upper surface thereof, said record having a first aperture locatedat its center and a second aperture radially spaced from said firstaperture;

a spindle at the center of said turntable adapted to be received in saidfirst aperture;

a generally Ushaped member pivotally mounted under said turntable androtatable therewith, said member having first and second arms extendingupwardly;

a locating pin carried by said first arm, said locating pin adapted toextend through a corresponding opening in said turntable and be receivedin said second record aperture;

record engaging means carried by said second arm adapted to extendthrough a corresponding opening in said turntable to engage said record,said first and second arms being arranged so that when said recordengaging means is below the plane of said turntable surface, saidlocating pin extends above said plane, and vice versa; a record traypivotally mounted above said turntable, said tray having upper and lowerportions defining a pocket to support said record, said upper portionhaving friction means adapted to engage the upper surface of saidrecord, whereby when said tray assembly is pivoted downwardly to loadthe record on the turntable, said record will lie on the upper surfaceof said turntable only if the locating pin is received in said secondaperture, otherwise said record will bear on said locating pin to keepsaid record engaging means operative to hold said record in engagementwith said friction means, said record remaining stationary until saidlocating pin canseat itself in second aperture thereby effecting pivotalmovement of the roller beneath the plane of said turnta" ble surface andallowing the record to drop into driving relationship with saidturntable.

2. The combination defined in claim l wherein said record engaging meanscomprises a rotatable member journaled on an axis which is normal to theturntable axis.

3. The combination as defined in claim ll including a housing aroundsaid record tray;

means defining an opening in said housing through which said record maybe loaded into said tray;

closure means for said opening mounted for movement between an openposition and a close position; and

means operatively connecting said closure to said record tray to liftsaid tray when said closure is moved to its open position.

1. The combination comprising: a turntable adapted to drive a discrecord when said record is placed on the upper surface thereof, saidrecord having a first aperture located at its center and a secondaperture radially spaced from said first aperture; a spindle at thecenter of said turntable adapted to be received in said first aperture;a generally U-shaped member pivotally mounted under said turntable androtatable therewith, said member having first and second arms extendingupwardly; a locating pin carried by said first arm, said locating pinadapted to extend through a corresponding opening in said turntable andbe received in said second record aperture; record engaging meanscarried by said second arm adapted to extend through a correspondingopening in said turntable to engage said record, said first and secondarms being arranged so that when said record engaging means is below theplane of said turntable surface, said locating pin extends above saidplane, and vice versa; a record tray pivotally mounted above saidturntable, said tray having upper and lower portions defining a pocketto support said record, said upper portion having friction means adaptedto engage the upper surface of said record, whereby when said trayassembly is pivoted downwardly to load the record on the turntable, saidrecord will lie on the upper surface of said turntable only if thelocating pin is received in said second aperture, otherwise said recordwill bear on said locating pin to keep said record engaging meansoperative to hold said record in engagement with said friction means,said record remaining stationary until said locating pin can seat itselfin second aperture thereby effecting pivotal movement of the rollerbeneath the plane of said turntable surface and allowing the record todrop into driving relationship with said turntable.
 2. The combinationdefined in claim 1 wherein said record engaging means comprises arotatable member journalled on an axis which is normal to the turntableaxis.
 3. The combination as defined in claim 1 including a housingaround said record tray; means defining an opening in said housingthrough which said record may be loaded into said tray; closure meansfor said opening mounted for movement between an open position and aclosed position; and means operatively connecting said closure to saidrecord tray to lift said tray when said closure is moved to its openposition.